Mexico City Expat Guide

25/25 Mexico City Mexico Distrito Federal, the thriving capital, couldn’t be more different from the Mexico regularly appearing on the evening news abroad. The city of 20 million or so remains largely free of the violence that has engulfed too many other towns and cities. And with public transportation expanding, air pollution decreasing, the police force modernising and a parade of new restaurants, shops, galleries and a museum, it’s getting even more fun for visitors. Essentials Ask around for the best nearby open-air markets and taco stands. 02 Keep small bills handy. Shopkeepers don’t like giving change for anything bigger than a 50- or 100-peso note. 03 Lunch, beginning at 14.00 or 15.00 and often lasting hours, is the main meal of the day, and many restaurants are closed for dinner. 04 Express kidnappings (secuestros expres), in which your taxi driver robs you, do happen, so don’t hail a cab on the street; call a service or find a stand (un sitio). 01

Guide/Info Hotels Independent and easy Hotel Brick Orizaba 95, Col. Roma Norte + 52 55 5525 1100 hotelbrick.com Dependable Hotel Presidente Intercontinental 218 Campos Eliseos, Col. Polanco + 52 55 5327 7700 intercontinental.com/ mexicocity Premium The Four Seasons 500 Paseo de la Reforma, Col. Juárez + 52 55 5230 1818 fourseasons.com/mexico Dining Fast breakfast Frutos Prohibidos y Otros Placeres 244-B Amsterdam, Col. Condesa + 52 55 5264 5808 frutosprohibidos.com Business breakfast Lobby Restaurant at Hotel Habita 201 Presidente Masaryk, Col. Polanco + 52 55 5282 3100 hotelhabita.com Mid-morning coffee Café Toscano Orizaba 42, Col. Roma + 52 55 5533 5444 Working lunch with colleagues Contramar 200 Durango (just off Fuente de Cibeles), Col. Roma + 52 55 5514 9217 contramar.com/mx Need-to-impressclients lunch El Casino Español Isabel La Católica 31, Col. Centro

+ 52 55 5521 8894 Lunch on your own Primos 168 Michoacán, Col. Condesa + 52 55 5256 0950 Afternoon tea/drink Senses 189 Campos Eliseos, Col. Polanco + 52 55 5980 1578 senses.com.mx Dinner on your own Bros 226 Lope de Vega, Col. Polanco + 52 55 5250 1325 Dinner with colleagues Los Danzantes 12 Plaza Jardín Centenario, Col. Coyoacán + 52 55 5554 1213 losdanzantes.com Private dinner Rosetta Colima 166, Col. Roma + 52 55 5533 7804 Big dinner with partner/clients Biko 407 Presidente Masaryk, Col. Polanco + 52 55 5282 2064 Drink after dinner La Terraza at Hotel Condesa DF 102 Avenida Veracruz, Col. Condesa + 52 55 5241 2600 condesadf.com On the tiles VIP room at Pasaje America 7 Cinco de Mayo, Col. Centro + 52 55 5521 4375 Reading Bookshop Librería Rosario Castellanos 202 Tamaulipas, Col. Condesa + 52 55 5276 7110 Thank yous Top-quality crafts from the Museo de Arte Popular shop 11 Revillagigedo, Col. Centro + 52 55 5510 2201 map.df.gob.mx

Shopping Something you can’t get anywhere else Design from the Galería Mexicana de Diseño 13 Anatole France, Col. Polanco + 52 55 5280 3709 galeriamexicana.com.mx Something for the kids Mexican toys from Jugaré 84 Alfonso Reyes, Col. Hipodromo Condesa + 52 55 5211 7280 jugare.com.mx Something for someone you love Erotic prints and antiques from Sexe by Accident 49 Alvaro Obregon, Col. Roma + 52 55 5511 1312 chicbyaccident.com Two-hour tour 01 Check out the Soumaya, Carlos Slim’s new museum Plaza Carso, Col. Ampliacion Granada museosoumaya.org 02 Zocalo and cathedral Col. Centro 03 University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC) and Ciudad Universitaria 3000 Insurgentes Sur, Ciudad Universitaria + 52 55 5622 6972 Limousine/car Omega + 52 55 5714 1919 Transport Metro Cheap and efficient. A one-way trip costs 2 pesos ($0.18/€0.13). Metrobus A bus rapid transit system that runs along Avenida de los Insurgentes. Access is with a pre-paid smart card. Taxi Plentiful and cheap. Don’t hail them from the street. Servitaxi + 52 55 5516 6020 servitaxis.com/mx Fitness Good gym Qi 317 Amsterdam, Col. Condesa + 52 55 5574 5095 qi.com.mx Running route Viveros de Coyoacán El Sope, a 2km running track in the huge Bosque de Chapultepec (in the second section of Chapultepec Park near the Lago Mayor).